Links for 7/31/18

In the New York Daily News, Charles Camosy looks at the news that Planned Parenthood is teaming up with the Trump administration to try and bust the union that represents their workers. I will have more on this tomorrow. It points to the need for the left to develop some intellectual consistency, and the only point around which the left can reasonably rally is an anti-libertarian commitment.

There was plenty of outrage over the president's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents, but according to the polls surveyed by FiveThirtyEight.com, there does not appear to be much lasting damage, in part because the news cycle changes so quickly these days. News flash to Democrats: Let the Russia investigation take care of itself. Focus on the immigrant children and the sheer incompetence of the Trump administration.

A propos of my column defending Humanae Vitae last week, this article on Elon Musk's father who just had a baby with his stepdaughter. The encyclical was about more than the birth control pill.

Money, money, money. It may not make the world go round, but it drives our politics. Politico reports on how Dems and Republicans are raising gobs of cash in advance of the midterms.

From the "hope springs eternal" file: The good people of Zimbabwe are voting this week and, for the first time in 37 years, Robert Mugabe is not on the ballot. Thirty-seven years is a long time. Let's make sure our nation does not spend so long with our would-be dictator.

[Michael Sean Winters covers the nexus of religion and politics for NCR.]

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